Adoption lawyers say they’re getting ready for a potential baby boom as same-sex couples emboldened by New York’s new same sex marriage law take the next step and try to adopt children.
New York will allow same-sex marriages beginning July 24. Thousands of couples are expected to tie the knot.
The state already permits unmarried couples to adopt children, whether they’re gay or straight. But adoption experts say getting married often spurs couples to think about starting a family.
Nationwide, about 19,000 gay couples had adopted children as of 2009. That’s up from 10,000 couples in 2000, the same year Vermont became the first state to offer civil unions to same sex couples.